3,000 BMW Group Workers Sent Home Due to Spanish Fuel Protests

About 3,000 employees at BMW Group’s Oxfordshire factory in the UK were temporarily laid-off because of Spanish fuel protests. The workers were sent home on full pay on Friday 13th June, when production ground to a halt after component parts they rely on could not be shipped from the continent. BMW’s employees can owe up to 200 hours but must pay these hours back to BMW at a later stage.

The production staff at Oxfordshire plant were turning out 49 cars per hour before the plant came to a halt. BMW has lost 45 hours production and in excess of 2,000 cars this weekend. The shipment that the factory is waiting on contains rear lights and brake pads. According to sources, providing shipments can get out of Spain, production should resume tonight.